Issue 3
[Image: Jodie Collins] S
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16.10.15
Molly Walker-Sharp explores Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka’s views on the Discourse of Black History p.8
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thegryphon.co.uk p.3
News Student forum notions set to fight for tenant’s rights
p.13
Views The Gryphon asks: Can the UK justify as huge as an expense as Trident?
p.18
Sport All the latest news following the first round of BUCS matches
[Image: Twitter/BalletBlack]
In The Middle look at Ballet Black, the company decidated to the representation of black dancers in ballet p.16
Only 9% of University Staff of BME Background Jessica Murray 31% of applicants and only 17% of job
News Editor offers, and white applicants making up 51% of the total, and receiving 67% of Recent statistics obtained by The job offers. Gryphon have shown that in the 2014When questioned about these 15 academic year Black and Minority statistics at a question and answer Ethnic (BME) individuals made up 9% of session in February, Vice Chancellor academic staff across the faculties, with Alan Langlands defended the university ethnic whites making up 71%. policy by saying that the mix of university The faculty of Engineering showed the staff is in reality better, but still not good greatest diversity in its staff members, enough with 15% BME, whereas BME staff He went on to state: “I’m not in favour members made up only 6% of the of quotas. We’ve got to pick the absolute total in the Faculty of Education, Social best candidates. What we should be Sciences and Law and in the Faculty of asking is why are we not producing the Arts. best candidates from minority groups?” Statistics have also shown that during The national average of BME staff the 2013-2014 period, BME individuals higher education in 2012-13 was 6.5%, made up 21% of those who applied for according to ECU research, and there professional and managerial roles across are currently only 60 black professors in the university, but only received 5% the UK, representing only 0.4% of the were successful. total. 59% of applicants were of white This is an improvement from the ethnicity, and they received 86% of job average in 2003-04, in which 4.8% of offers. higher education staff were BME. This equates to 133 white and 8 BME Further data shows that 85% of BME applicants being offered jobs by the candidates applying for promotions in university. 2013-14 were successful, and 82% of A similar trend is seen in the white applicants were. recruitment of academic staff of the same A spokesperson for the University said: period, with BME individuals making up “Currently, of a total staff headcount of
7,780, 9% of our staff have declared they are from a BME background; however, a larger proportion of our staff ethnicity status information remains unknown (20%). “With reference to academic staff, 10% declared they were from a BME background, however, again, a larger proportion of data is unknown (23%). “In relation to the recruitment of professional and managerial staff in 2013/14, 21% of applicants and 5% of those offered a role declared they were from a BME background; however, 18% of data at application stage is unknown and 8% at offer stage, therefore it is difficult to provide meaningful narrative. “We recognise that there are gaps in the equality monitoring data, which do not help to provide meaningful information, so we are currently working towards more fully understanding the composition of our staff by encouraging disclosure in our equality monitoring activity. “This supports our priority to attract, retain, support and develop an excellent workforce from across the world, which is part of our Equality and Inclusion strategy and wider framework.”